4th person killed in CRPF firing was Pak militant: Police

The mystery behind the identity of the fourth person killed in CRPF firing in Shopian district on weekend ended today with police saying the deceased was a Pakistani militant affiliated with Lashker-e-Toiba outfit.

"Investigations have revealed that the fourth slain person -- who was neither identified by anyone nor the body claimed -- was a Pakistani militant Abdullah Haroon," a police spokesman said.

Four persons were killed when CRPF personnel opened fire to repulse a militant attack at Gagran in Shopian town, 52-km from Srinagar, on Saturday.

The killings sparked protests in the south Kashmir district as locals accused the CRPF of killing four innocent youths, prompting authorities to clamp an indefinite curfew on the town to restore calm.

The spokesman said the other three persons -- Towseef Ahmed Bhat and Mohammad Yousuf of Shopian and Tariq Ahmad of Kulgam -- were civilians.

"There was no record of any militant links of the three local youths killed in the firing," the spokesman said.

He said the mobile phone recovered from the possession of the Pakistani militant had video clipping of snatching of weapons of two CRPF personnel who were shot at by militants in village Almeira in Shopian on August 26.

One of the jawans died in the attack while another was critically injured and was undergoing treatment.

Earlier giving details of the incident, the spokesman had said four persons, including two "anti-national" elements, were killed and another injured in the firing.

"A pistol, two grenades and a mobile phone, which was being used by LeT militants, were recovered from the anti-national elements," he had said.